Conveyer control apparatus



July 19, 1932. F. STEBLER CONVEYER CONTROL APPARATUS Filed May 29, 1.928

Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFrcE FRED STEBLER, OF RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 STEBLER PARKER CO., 0] RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF "CALIFORNIA GONVEYER CONTROL APPARATUS Application filed May 29,

This invention relates to conveyors such as are used in industrial plants or packing houses for advancing boxes or other articles around the plant or factory. While the invention may be employed for many purposes, in the present specification I have described it as applied to a packing house, in a situation where lateral conveyers must deliver boxes to a trunk line conveyer. Under these circumstances, it'has been found necessary to provide means for operating the trunk line conveyor in such a way as to prevent collision between boxes carried by itand boxes coming onto the trunk line conveyer from lateral conveyers.

The general object of this invention is to provide automatic controllingmeans for accomplishing this purpose, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide. a controlling mechanism of simple construction in which the control is eifected in a dual manner. That is to say, through the simultaneous control of a box on a trunk conveyer and a box on the lateral conveyer.

Further objects of the invention pear hereinafter. V

The invention consists of the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efficient conveyer control apparatus. 7

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan showing a portion of a trunk line conveyer with a portion of a lateral conveyer heading into it. y I

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section taken through the lateral conveyer about on'the line 22 of Figure 1, and showing a portion of the trunk line conveyer in side elevation.

According to my invention, I provide automatic control mechanism located at the junc tion of the lateral conveyer with the trunk line conveyer involving the use of a dual control. This dual control requires the use of a movable control member adjacent the pat-h of a box on the trunk line conveyer and a movablecontrol member to project into the 1928. Serial No. 281,514.

path of abox advancing on the lateral conveyer. The operation of either of these control members alone will not have any effect on the operation of the conveyer means, butif both are operated simultaneously by advancmg boxes, the operation of the trunk lme conveyer will be temporarily suspended so as to permit the box on the lateral to move on to the trunk line without colliding with which runs over a guide pulley 4 supported I between the stringers 2. The conveyer means includes a rear section formed by an endless belt 5, running over pulley such as the pulley 6, which is like the pulley 4 These conveyer sections or belts 3 and 5 are normally driven continuously in the direction of the arrows, so that the forward section 3 receives boxes from the rear section 5.

Although the belt 3 is constantly driven, the drive to the belt 5 is discontinued through the action of the controlmechanism to prevent collisions. It will be noted that the lateralconveyer delivers directly to the forward section 3 of the trunk conveyer.

Theconveyer means also includes a lateral conveyer 7 having a frame with two parallel stringers 8 betweenwhich a conveyer belt 9 is supported. This belt is similar to the belts 3 and 5, and is supported on rollers, such as the roller 10 located adjacent the junction point of the lateral with the trunk line conveyer. The lateral conveyer 7 preferably heads into the trunk line conveyer adjacent the rear end of the forward section 3. In providing a control apparatus for a conveyer such as this, I provide a driving connection such as a chain drive 11, for driving the roller 6 from the roller 4. I also drive the roller 10 by bevel gears 12 fromthe shaft of the roller 4. I provide a'box-actuated member corresponding to the trunk line conveyer that is capable of projecting into the path of boxes advancing with the same, and I provide another box-actuated member corresponding to the lateral conveyer capable of projecting into the path of boxes advancing on the lateral conveyer. These two box-actuated members are mechanically connected together by a mechanism to which is imparted a movement by one of the boxactuated members, and to which another movement is imparted by the other boxactuated member when it is moved by a box. I impart these combined movements to a control-mechanism, which, by reason of the two displacements caused in it by the boxactuated members, will efiect the stopping of one of the conveyers. Any suitable means may be employed to cooperate with this control-mechanism to stop one of the conveyers. In the present instance, on the shaft 13 of the roller 6, I provide a clutch 1 1 for driving parts of the trunk line conveyer. This clutch is preferably of the inside expanding ring friction type, including an expander cone 15 which is normally held in position to keep the clutch closed by means of a coil spring 16 mounted on an extension 17 of the shaft 13. Back of the cone 15, a yoke 18 is provided which is formed atabout the middle point of a control bar 19. This control bar 19 is subject to dual control by the boxes advancing on the trunk line conveyer and on the lateral conveyer. For this purpose, one end of the control bar 19 is attached to a short lever 20 carried on a vertical shaft 21, mounted on the side of the trunk line conveyer 1, said shaft 21 being provided with a movable control member in the form of a lever 22 that'normally projects across above the belt 5, so as to {ac in the path of a box 23 advancing with this elt.

The other end of the control bar 19 is attached to an arm 24, rigidly carried on a vertical shaft 25, mounted on the forward side of the lateral conveyer 7. The upper end of this shaft; 25 carries a control member in the form of a lever 26 that normally extends over the belt 9 so as to be in the path of a box 27 advancing with this belt.

-In order to give a zone of influence for the box 27 greater than the sweep of the lever 26, I prefer to provide an additional lever 28 parallel to the lever 26 and mounted on a shaft 29 further back on the lateral conveyer 7. These levers 26 and 28 are connected pivotally to dog bar 30 that normally extends longitudinally over the belt 9. The inner end of this dog bar preferably has an extension 31, beyond the point of attachment with the lever 26 and this extension 31 carries a roller 32 that facilitates the passing ofa box from a lateral onto the main conveyer or trunk line conveyer. I

Cooperating with this roller, I provide another roller 33 which is attached to rotate on a vertical axis over the adjacent stringer 2 of the trunk line conveyer, and opposite the junction point and on the opposite side from the lateral 7, I provide a curved guide rail 34 which cooperates with the rollers 32 and 33 to align abox properly on the belt 3 after its delivery to the belt by the lateral conveyer.

The cone 15 preferably is provided on its outer side with a collar 35 which is grasped by the yoke 18 and which receives the thrust of the spring 16 that normally holds the clutch closed.

In Figure 1, the bar 30 is shown in full lines in the position which it would be held by a box 27 advancing with the conveyer belt 9. Also, the control bar 19 is indicated by dotted lines in a position which it would have when actuated by the lever 22, assuming that the fulcrum pin 35 is held against movement through the presence of the box 27. This fulcrum pin 36 pivotally connects the bar 19 with the arm or lever 24.

In the mode of operation of the apparatus, itwill be evident that if there is no box such as the box 27, on the lateral conveyer, a box such as the box 23 moving along the trunk line conveyer will push the lever 22 to one side; this movement, however, will have no efiect on the clutch, because there is nothing to prevent swinging movement of the end of the control bar 19 that is connected with the lever 26. In other words, the control bar 19 will simply rock on a vertical axis on the yoke 18 without moving the collar If, however, a box such as the box 27 is approaching on the lateral conveyer 7, the fulcrum pin 36 will be held through the agency of the box, in a fixed position, and under these circumstances, if a box 23 strikes the lever 22, the bar 19 will be swung on the pin 36 as an axis. This will slip the cone 15 outwardly on the shaft 13 and open the clutch. This will suspend the driving movement to the belt 5 and permit the box 27 to pass onto the belt 3. After the rear end of the box 27 moves past the roller 32, the spring 16 will of course close the clutch and the advance of the box 23 will be resumed. In this way, collision between boxes at the junction pointof the lateral with the trunk line conveyer is automatically controlled and prevented.

By reason of the fact that the belt 3 is always being driven, no box can be left on the trunk-line conveyer in front of the lateral conveyer. 7

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is: r

1. In a conveyer system for boxes, the conbination ofa trunk line conveyer having two conveyer sections disposed end to end, means for driving the conveyor sections in the same direction, a lateral conveyor located so as to deliver directly to the more advanced of said conveyor sections with respect to the driving direction, and automatic means controlled by boxes on both the said conveyors acting simultaneously for suspending the operation of the rear conveyor section only, while continuing the driving of said forward section.

2. In a conveyor system for boxes, the combination of a trunk conveyor having a forward conveyor section and a rear conveyor section, means for continuously driving said forward conveyor section, and for driving the rear section in the same direction so that the forward conveyor section receives boxes from the rear conveyor section, a lateral conveyor for delivering boxes directly to the forward conveyor section, a clutch by which the rear conveyor section is driven, and automatic means controlled by boxes advancing on they lateral conveyor and on the rear conveyor simultaneously for opening the clutch to suspend the operation of the rear conveyor means.

3. In a conveyor for boxes, the combination of a trunk line conveyor having a forward conveyor section and a rear conveyor section, with respect to the direction of advance of boxes on the trunk line conveyor, a lateral conveyor heading into the rear end of the forward conveyor, means for continuously driving the forward conveyor, means for driving the rear conveyor, including a clutch, a movable controlling member adjacent the rear conveyor section and projecting into the path of a box moving along the same, a movable control member adjacent to the lateral conveyor and projecting into the path of a box moving along the same, and means connected with said control members for opening the clutch by the simultaneous action of both of said control members.

4. A conveyor of the class described con sisting of a trunk line comprising at least two sections arranged end to end and a lateral conveyor feeding to the trunk line conveyor adjacent the junction of the end to end sections of the trunk line conveyor, box-actuated control-mechanisms projecting into the path of the boxes on the trunk line conveyor and the lateral conveyor adjacent their intersection, said trunk line and lateral conveyor box control mechanisms being interconnected whereby boxes approaching the in tersection on the trunk line conveyor simultaneously with a box approaching the inter section on the lateral conveyor will cause the rearmost section of the trunk line to stop, and stop any box thereon that may be about to enter the intersection in conflict with a box entering the intersectionfrom the lateral conveyor.

5. In a conveyor system, the combination of a plurality of conveyors joined together at an intersection to form a single conveyor leading to an exit, one of said conveyors having a constantly driven part, another of said conveyors having a part adapted to be intermittently driven, a box actuated member projecting into the pat-h of boxes on each of said conveyors, and a member mechanically attached to each of saidmembers and actuated by theconjoint action of both of them for stopping the operation of the intermittently driven part.

6. In a conveyor system, the combination of a plurality of conveyors joined together at an intersection to form a singleconveyer leadingto an exit, one of said conveyors having a constantly driven part, another of said conveyors having a part adapted to be intermittently driven, a box actuated member projecting in the path of boxes on the intermittently driven part, a box actuated member projecting in the path of boxes of the constantly driven part, a member mechanically attached to both of said box actuated members, and means actuated by the last named member through the combined movements of both of the box actuated members for stopping the intermittently driven part to prevent collision of boxes at the intersection.

7. In a conveyor system, the combination of a plurality of conveyors joined together at an intersection to form a single conveyor leading to an exit, one of said conveyors having a part adapted to be intermittently driven, another of said conveyers having a constantly driven part a box actuated member projecting into the path of boxes moving on said constantly driven part, a second box actuated member projecting into the path of boxes moving on said intermittently driven part, and means including a clutch connected to said intermittently operated part and mechanically operated by the conjoint'action of both of said box actuated members for stopping the operation of said intermittently driven part to prevent collision of boxes at the intersection.

8. In a conveyor system, the combination of a plurality of conveyors joined together at an intersection to form a single conveyor leading to an exit. one of said conveyors having a constantly driven part, another of said conveyors having a part adapted to be intermittentlv driven, a box actuated member proiecting into the path of boxes on each of said conveyors, and means mechanically at tached to each of said members including aclutch, said clutch being actuated by the conjoint action of both of said box actuated members for disconnecting the clutch and stopping the operation of the intermittently driven part.

Signed at Los Angeles Calif. this 18th day of May 1928.

FRED STEBLER. 

